“A characteristic which is a weakness in one role is a strength in another. My weaknesses are the sort you would probably find in all of your best business development managers.”

Then ask them to list the weaknesses of their best staff and do a non-committal “mm hmm” to one or two.

And FFS don’t come out with the usual cliches about “I work too hard, am a perfectionist etc.” You might get away with “I try to bust my quota by Thursday so I can relax a bit on Fridays – actually I do my best work when I’m relaxed”.

Murray Chapman “I’m always posting on Facebook when I should be working”
2 hours ago · Like

Andrew Cook “I find it difficult to shut off from work, if I have something on my mind or something unfinished I have to complete otherwise it plays on my mind” but I would go with the Jaffa cakes as I am eating some now!
2 hours ago via mobile · Like

Lee Fletcher I’m not very good at wiping my backside which causes me to have to scratch my bum in the afternoon.
about an hour ago via mobile · Like · 1

Keith Wood my dad sadly died when I was 18 so I’m off to go on BGT and X Factor after this
about an hour ago · Like

Matthew Gaunt “I’m shit at slicing bread. My slices only go halfway in the toaster then they get stuck.”
about an hour ago · Like

Murray Chapman “I sometimes forget to start Strava before a ride even though I put on the HRM”
about an hour ago · Like · 1

Matt Scott “Sorry, what did you say? I wasn’t listening”
about an hour ago via mobile · Unlike · 2

Murray Chapman That explains the number of interviews you’ve had Matt Scott
about an hour ago · Like

Matthew Gaunt “Not being able to control my insults, faceache”
7 minutes ago · Like

Matthew Gaunt I still like Sue Agland’s one “I can’t tell the difference between seagulls and pigeons”. If a candidate ever said that to me, they’d get the job and when they started they’d have this on their desk

And FFS don’t come out with the usual cliches about “I work too hard, am a perfectionist etc.”

Part of me thinks, if they’re going to google stock interview questions, they should expect googled stock interview answers.

That said, it’s not wholly without merit as a question; it weeds out the unprepared for a start, and it can solicit some brutally honest answers if people don’t think through what they’re saying. I had one interviewee fess up that he had anger management issues and was looking for work currently as he’d started a fist-fight with his previous boss.

I used to use the ‘perfectionist’ one, largely because it’s true; I’ll get hung up on doing one job properly rather than doing three jobs badly, which isn’t always ideal. I mostly got away with it, though I’ve been challenged at least once; “well, that’s not really a weakness is it, what are your real weaknesses?”

A better tack might be to have a weakness which you’ve got a workaround for. For instance, my memory’s crap, but I deal with that by writing things down.

I think that what this thread shows is that a good answer will depend on the whim of the person who asks the question. therefore you need to think on your feet and have a few answers prepared depending on your impression of the interviewer – do they want a jovial response followed by a serious one. do they want a cliché? do they want honesty?

I wonder whether you could throw the question back at them… engage them in conversation rather than just a questions and answer session. ask them to put it into context – like what type of situation? work? home?